Automatic drain-valve for steam-cylinders.



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AUTJHIITIG DRAIN VALVE FR STEAM CYLINDERS.

(Application Bled. Oct. 26, 1898.)

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT THOMAS D. SMITH, OF WILKES-BARR, PENNSYLVANIA.

AUTOilVlATIC DRAIN-VALVE FCR STEAM-CYLINDERS.

SPECIFICATIN forming part'of Letters Patent No. 634,188, dated October 3, 1899.

Application filed October 26, 1898. Serial No. 694,589. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS D. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Wilkescylinders, the drainage-water finally passingv away from the cylinder of the lowest pressure.

The arrangement of valves and drainagepipes will be fully described in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a sectional View of a compound engine having two cylinders provided with myl improved drainage-valves. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the drainage-valve of the low-pressure cylinder; and Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3 3, Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, H indicates'a high-pressure cylinderand H its piston.

L indicates a low-pressure cylinder, L its piston, and X a connecting steam-pipe.

From opposite ends of the cylinder H extenddrainage-pipes h h2 to the casing of. an automatic drainage-valve A. The Valve consists of a casing 1, having two upper ,chambers 3 4, into which the drainage-pipes lead, and two lower chambers 5 6, from which lead pipes m fm2, to be hereinafter referred to. The chambers 3 and 5 are separated from the chambers 4 and 6 by partition 20. The chambers 3 and 5 are separated by a partition?, which has anV opening controlled by a valve 8. Similarly the chambers 4 and Gare separated by a partition 9, having an opening controlled by a valve 10. The valves -8 and 10 are normally pressed inward by springs 11, and they are separated by valve-stems 12, which pass through an opening in partition 20 and abut and hold the valves farther apart than the distance between their seats, so that one valve must always be unseated and the valves must move alternately. The springs tend to hold the valves in middle position,

The/valves 8 and 10 are piston-valves, and

they are controlled by steam-pressure coming through the drainage-pipes h h2 and through passages 13 above the valves. The passages are provided with means whereby the amount of pressure permitted to act on the piston-valves may be regulated and hammering of the valves on their seats thereby prevented. As shown, the passages 13 are controlled by valves 14 in the form of screws which work across the passages. (See Fig. 3.)

If threeor more cylinders are connected, the high-pressure cylinder and intermediate cylinders would all be provided with valves like that above described, each having two outlets. The valve B of the low-pressure cylinder, however, needs but a single outlet 15, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. In all other respects the valve B is the saine as the valve A ofthe highpressure cylinder above described, and the same reference letters and figures have been applied.

The operation is as follows: The respective ends of the high -pressure cylinder drain through the pipes h/ h2 and the valves 8 and 10 into the pipes or passages m m2. W'hen the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 1, for instance, steam is being admitted to the space y of the high-pressure cylinder and the pressure is communicated through the pipe h2 to the'valve 10,' closing said valve and at the same time opening the valve S by means of the abutting valve-stems 9 and 12. Simultaneously the water of condensation passes out through the pipe 7L and. valve S to the pipe or passage m. When the engine-valve isshifted and steam is admitted to the space the above operations are reversed and water from the space y/ passes through the valve 10 to the pipe or passage 'm2, If three or more cylinders be used, all of the cylinders excepting that of lowest pressure will each drain into two passages, as above described. The cylinder of lowest pressure will drain in a similar manner, but into a single drain-pipe 15. Thus the water from both ends of the cylinder L passes to the drainage-pipe 15.

The drain-pipes m 'm2 from the highestpressurecylinder communicate with the cyl- IOO inderof nextlower pressure, so that the water of condensation from the high-pressure cylinder may pass into the cylinder of next lower pressure or into the drain-pipes of said cylinder. Thus, as shown in the drawings, the water from compartment as of cylinder Il passes to compartment :t 'ot cylinder L and the water from compartment y passes to compartment y. In like manner if three or more cylinders were used the d rainage-waterfrom cylinder L would pass to the cylinder of next lower pressure, and so on until the cylinder of lowest pressure is reached, and the drainage from all the cylinders would then pass ou t through a single drain-pipe 15.

The effect of the above arrangement is that when the engine is running there is never any continuous or open communication between any of the cylinders excepting that of lowest pressure and thc drain-pipe. Thus, as shown in Fig. 1, when lhc engine is running communication between the cylinderspace y and the drainage-valve 15 is always closed, either by the valve 10 of drainagevalve A or the valve 10 of d minage-valve B, and communication between the spacca" and the drain-pipe 15 is always closed, either by the valve S of drainage-valve A or the valve S oi drainage-valve l. When the engine is stopped, all of the valves S and 10 are open and communication is established between both ends of each cylinder and the drainagepipe 15. By regulating the valves 1t the Valves S and 10 maybe made to scat very gently and without any unpleasant noise or excessive wear. It will be evident that the drainage from the high-pressure cylinder will mostly remain in the pipes l' /nt/ until permitted io pass through the valve B. These pipes may be said to constitute a reservoir for said drainage, and, if desired, they may be enlarged suiiciently to hold all of the drainage from the high-pressure cylinder and prevent it from passing into the low-pressure cylinder.

It will be evident that the above system of drainage can be applied to three or more cylinders, the water of condensation passing from the high-pressure cylinder to the next cylinder, and so on to the cylinder of lowest pressure.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-

1. The combinationwith the cylinders ot' a compound engine, of drainage-passages leading from the opposite ends of the high-pressure cylinderinto the drainage-passages ofthe cylinder of next lower pressure, automatic drainage-valves controlling the passages of the high-pressure cylinder and automatic drainage-valves controlling the passages of the cylinder of next lower pressure, said conuecting-passages and valves being so arranged that open communication between the highpressure cylinder and the drainage-outlet is never established when 'the engine is running, substantially as described.

2. In a compound engine, the combination with high and low pressure cylinders, of drainage-passages leading from the exhaust ends of each cylinder to the inlet ends of the cylinder of next lower pressure, and drainage-passages leading from the cylinder of lowest pressure to adrain-pipe,the drainagepassages of each cylinder being controlled by a utomatic valves arranged to cutoff communication between all cylinders (excepting the one of lowestpressure) and the drain-pipe when the engine is running, substantially asdescribed.

A drainage-valve for compound engines comprising a casing, a partition extending across said casing, two inlet-chamberszone on each side of said partition, two outlet-chambers one on each side of said partition, and two automatic pressure-operated valves one on each side of said partition, said valves being arranged to control the passages between the inlet and the outlet chambers and being operatively connected and adapted to close said passages alternately, substantiallyas described.

4. The automatic drainage-valve comprising the casing, the partitions having openings, the piston-valves for said openings, the steam-passages 13 and the Valves 14 for throttlingthe steam in said passages, substantially as described.

5. The combination with asteam-cylinder, of an automatic drainage-valve comprising the valves S and 10 having abutting valvestems, the springs for holding said valves normally open, the passages 13 for communicating pressure to said valves to operate the same, and the valves for regulating said passages 13, substantially as described.

G. The combination with the cylinders of a compound engine, of a single drainage-outlet for all of said cylinders, drainage-passages leading from the ends of said cylinders to said outlet, and automatic valves in said passages, said Valves being so constructed and arranged that they open direct communication between the low-pressure cylinder only and the outlet when the engine is running, while they open direct communication bev tween all of the cylinders and said outlet when the engine is stopped, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature IOO IIO 

